Comments on: An electronic music community in your school? http://etobiasblog.musiced.net/2007/04/20/electronic-music-community-in-your-school/ Expanding Dialogue in Music Education Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:04:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.2.1 By: Owen Bradley http://etobiasblog.musiced.net/2007/04/20/electronic-music-community-in-your-school/#comment-7774 Owen Bradley Sat, 21 Apr 2007 20:54:07 +0000 http://etobiasblog.musiced.net/2007/04/20/electronic-music-community-in-your-school/#comment-7774 I and a colleague of mine have been contemplating this very issue at our school. Florida has instituted a manadtory 1 credit in fine or performing arts as a graduation requrement for students beginning w/the class of '08. The problem is, instrumental music really suffers when we are expected to offer no prerequisite or entry level classes. Our programs are built from the middle school and are populated by students who continue studying their instrument from the middle school level. This new requirement has FORCED us to question how music education is delivered in the school. While I see traditional bands, orchestras and choirs remaining in the curriculum, there is a growing demand for electroinic music, as demonstrated by the overwhelming response to our course offering "Electronic Music 1". We had to open two more sections and still were turing students away! The only thing we need to be careful of IMO is the isolation of GarageBand- that is, students who view music solely as a personal experience that does not interact with others. The real beauty of ensemble playing is learning to create music while relying on one another in a team approach. I and a colleague of mine have been contemplating this very issue at our school. Florida has instituted a manadtory 1 credit in fine or performing arts as a graduation requrement for students beginning w/the class of ‘08.

The problem is, instrumental music really suffers when we are expected to offer no prerequisite or entry level classes. Our programs are built from the middle school and are populated by students who continue studying their instrument from the middle school level. This new requirement has FORCED us to question how music education is delivered in the school.

While I see traditional bands, orchestras and choirs remaining in the curriculum, there is a growing demand for electroinic music, as demonstrated by the overwhelming response to our course offering “Electronic Music 1″. We had to open two more sections and still were turing students away!

The only thing we need to be careful of IMO is the isolation of GarageBand- that is, students who view music solely as a personal experience that does not interact with others. The real beauty of ensemble playing is learning to create music while relying on one another in a team approach.

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